Plane Crashes Near Trump’s Florida Resort; 9 Killed

At least nine people have been killed after a small business aircraft crashed in the U.S. state of Florida. There were nine individuals on board the plane.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated that the accident occurred on Sunday (November 1).

The plane crashed near the Cresthaven area at approximately 12:50 p.m. local time on Sunday. This location is about 9 miles (14 kilometers) from Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort, situated in an upscale area of ​​Palm Beach County, Florida.

Images from the crash site show a large crater on a road in a residential neighborhood, with visible signs of fire. Wreckage from the aircraft, along with chunks of concrete and other debris, was scattered across the road.

In a statement, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the aircraft—a Learjet 60—had departed from Austin, Texas, and was bound for the Bahamas.

Analysis of media reports and the aircraft’s flight path indicates that the plane was descending at a rate of several hundred feet per second before the crash.

A video circulating on social media—though its authenticity has not been independently verified—appears to have been captured by a dashboard camera in a vehicle. The footage shows a car traveling along a residential road when an aircraft suddenly descends almost vertically and slams into the ground, triggering a massive fireball.

Following the incident, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis remarked at a press conference, "The video is chilling—it looks like a missile coming down. Then there’s a massive explosion, with debris scattered everywhere."

The identities of those on board the aircraft have not yet been disclosed. DeSantis stated, "We have not received any reports of fatalities or injuries to anyone on the ground."

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy described the accident as "truly tragic." He noted that the FAA is dispatching a team to the site to assist the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in its investigation of the incident.

Source: BBC